atkinson



(No Model.) 2 She ets-Sheet 1.

H. C. ATKINSON 8: S. M. WEST. HYDRANI.

No. 554,166. "Patented Feb. 4, 1896.,

INDRDN BJZRAHAM. PHOTOiflHQWASHINGiGNj C.

(No Model.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2. 11.0. ATKINSON & S. M. WEST.

HYDRANT'. 1 No. 554,166. Patented Feb. 4, 1896.

W'egszmx a l mm zziwjx jfiverz ap/zhmmw AN DREW BERMMM.VHO'I'IO-UTHQWASHINGTDNJVC.

lJNrTEn STATES PATENT @FFICE.

HERBERT C. ATKINSON AND SYLVESTER M. VEST, OF AUBURN, KENTUCKY,ASSIGNORS TO AARON F. GOGHILL, OF SAME PLACE.

HYDRANT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 554,166, dated February4, 1896. Application filed May '7, 1895. serial No. 548,482. (No modelJTo all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, HERBERT C. ATKIN- SON and SYLvEsrER M. WEST,citizens of the United States, residing at Auburn, in the county ofLogan and State of Kentucky, have invented new and useful Improvementsin Hydrants, of which the following is a speci fication.

This inven tion relates to hydrants, and has for its object to provideimproved valve-operating mechanism therefor, to provide improved meansfor shutting off the hydrant from the water-supply and simultaneouslyopening a drain-outlet, to provide improved means for coupling hose tothe hydrant securely against accidental displacement and leakage andwith great rapidity, and to pr0- duce a hydrant of few and simple partsand that may be easily and readily repaired without disturbing many ofthe parts.

To these ends our invention consists in the novel features and in theconstruction and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described, andpointed out in the claims following the description, due reference beinghad to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification,wherein- Figure 1 is a Vertical central section of our improved hydrant.Fig. 2 is a top plan view thereof, the l1ose-coupling being shownseparated. Fig. 3 is a detail perspective View illustrating the inclinedcam and groove for raising and lowering the valve. Fig. 4: is ahorizontal section illustrating the valve controlling the drain-outletand the means for actuating the same. Fig. 5 is a detail sectional viewof the means for locking the hosecoupling and illustrating the spannerin operative position. Fig. 6 is an end elevation of the parts shown inFig. 5, the spanner being omitted. Fig. '7 is a side elevation, partlyin section, of a modification wherein the hydrant-valve closesdownwardly against its seat.

In order that those skilled in the art pertaining to our invention maymake and use the same, we will now describe it in detail, referencebeing had to the said drawings, wherein- The numeral 1 indicates thebarrel or casing of the hydrant, which is adapted to be connected with awater-main, as shown, and is provided at its lower end with a valve-seat2. Arranged in the lower end of the barrel 1, and preferably castintegral therewith, is a spider 3, adapted to form a guide for the stemof the hydrant-valve, and an internal collar 4 is also cast in the upperend of said barrel for the same purpose. Arranged in said spider andcollar, and adapted to be reciprocated therein, is a valve-stem 5, whichat its lower end is provided with a valve 6, which is adapted to closeupwardly against the valveseat 2 and out off the supply of water to thehydrant. The upper end of the barrel 1 is screw-threaded internally, andfitted in said screw-threaded end is a stuffing-box 7, that fits saidbarrel and valve-stem water-tight. The-upper end of said stuffing-box ispreferably squared to enable the same to be grasped by a wrench tofacilitate the insertion and removal of the stuffing-box.

The upper exterior portion of the barrel 1 is provided with a spiralcircumferential groove 8, while its extreme upper edge is camshaped, asat 9, and conforms in contour to the spiral form of said groove 8.Fitted over the upper end of the barrel 1 is an inverted cup-shaped cap10, provided near its lower edge with an internal laterally-projectingstud 11, adapted to travel in the spiral groove 8 when the said cap isrotated. For the purpose of rotating said cap the latter is provided onits upper side with a squared or angularshaped projection 12, over whicha wrench is adapted to be fitted, as more clearly seen in Fig. 2, andthe upper inner side of said cap is provided with a similarly-shapedsocket 13, adapted to fit over the squared upper end of the valve-stem 5and cause said stem to turn with the cap.

Secured to the upper end of the valve-stem 5 is a laterally-projectinglug 14, which is inclined on its under side to conform to theillclination of the cam 9 formed on the upper end of the barrel 1, withwhich it engages, and said lug may be conveniently secured to thevalve-stem by bifurcating or forking its end, as at 15, (see Fig. 1,)and seating said forked ends in corresponding mortises cut in thevalve-stem. "When thus constructed the lug 14 may very readily beattached to and detached from the valve-stein, and when attached to thestem, and the cap 10 is fitted over the barrel, the lug is held againstradial movement on the valve-stem by said cap, and inasmuch as the lugis incapable of movement in any other direction it will be held in itsengagement with the valve-stem as long as the cap is in place on thehydrant.

In the lower portion of the barrel 1 is arranged a drain-outlet 16,which is adapted to be closed by a valve 17 that is secured to the freeend of a leaf-spring 18, the other end of said spring being secured tothe barrel 1. Said spring operates to normally maintain the valve awayfrom the outlet 16. On the lower end of the valve-stem 5 is arranged aspiral cam 19, which gradually increases in thickness radially from itslower end, 20, to its upper end, 21, and in engagement with which thevalve 17 is held by the spring 18.

The operation of the above-described portion of the invention is asfollows: Let it be assumed that the parts are in the positionillustrated in Fig. 1, in which position the hydrant-valve is closed,cutting off the supply of water from the main. To open the valve andadmit the water to the hydrant, the wrench 22 is applied to theprojection 12 on the top of the cap 10, as shown in Fig. 2, and the caprotated. As the cap is turned thestud 11 rides down the spiral groove 8on the barrel 1, drawing said cap down over the barrel and forcing downthe valve-stem 5 and with it the valve 6, lowering the latter from itsvalve-seat 2 and affording an unobstructed communication between thehydrant and the main. As the cap 10 is rotated to force down thevalve-stem and valve, it also, by means of the socket 13, rotates saidvalve-stem and with it the cam 19. As the cam 19 is rotated its inclinedface acts against the valve 17 and forces said valve against thedrain-outlet 16 and closes the latter. By making the cam 19 spiral, asshown, it is caused to press directly against the valve 17 throughoutthe entire time the valve-stem is rotated and forced downward. It willthus be seen that simultaneously with the opening of the hydrantvalvethe drain-outlet is closed. To close the hydrant-valve theabove-described operation is reversed, and as the cap 10 is rotated thelug 14 rides up the spiral-shaped cam 9, raising the valve-stem andvalve, and with it the said cap, until the highest point of the cam 9has been reached, when the valve 6 will be closed tightly against itsseat. During this operation the valve-stem was rotated as it was raised,in the manner before described, and with it the cam 19, the lattergradually receding from behind the valve 17 and the spring 18 operatingat the same time 'to throw the valve away from the drain-outlet 16, andby the time the hydrant-valve 6 has been fully closed the said outletwill have been fully opened, permitting all the water in the hydrantabove the valve to drain off.

It will be noted that when the hydrant-valve is opened an unobstructedpassage for the water is afforded from the main to the discharge of thehydrant, and that by means of the stuffing-box 7 no water can gainaccess to any of the operative parts of the valve-operating mechanism.Moreover, the said mechanism is at all times protected by the cap 10against the effects of dust, moisture or the weather, whereby theworking parts will at all times work smoothly and with little friction,and, in connection with the drain-outlet 16, will effectually preventany portion of the hydrant from freezing.

In order that a hose may be rapidly and tightly connected to thehydrant, we provide the novel coupling which we will now describe.

In the threaded discharge orifice 23 is screwed a short tube 24, theouter end of which is preferably slightly enlarged in diameter and isprovided with two spirally-arranged circumferential grooves 25 ofcorresponding pitch and terminating at their outer ends in longitudinalgrooves 26, that are continued to the extreme end of said tube 24; Thehose is secured in the usual manner upon one end of a nipple 27, whichat its other end is provided with a disk-shaped head 28, and over saidnipple and head is rotatably journaled a coupling-sleeve 29 providedwith internal radially-projecting studs 30, that are adapted to takeinto the grooves 25 in the operation of coupling, said studs and groovesforming a bayonet-joint. In order that the coupling-sleeve 29 may litthe nipple 27 water-tight, we prefer to interpose between the head 28and the end of the tube 24 a flexible gasket.

Upon the periphery of the tube 24 is formed a series of ratchet-teeth31, and in a circumferential slot 32 formed in the coupling-sleeve 29 ispivoted a pawl 33, one end of which is provided with a beveled detent34, and under the other end thereof is arranged a coiled spring 35, saidspring operating to normally maintain the detent 34 in engagement withthe ratchet-teeth 31.

The operation of our improved coupling is as follows To couple the hoseto the dischargetube 24, the coupling-sleeve 29 is slipped over saidtube in such manner that the studs 30 will enter the longitudinalgrooves 26 and pass into the ends of the spiral grooves 25. Then byrotating said coupling-sleeve in the proper direction the studs 30 willbe caused to travel in said spiral grooves, which will draw the head 28of the nipple 27 into contact with the end of the tube 24, the detent34, during the latter part of the rotation of the coupling-sleeve 29,engaging the ratchetteeth 31 and preventing the coupling-sleeve frombeing accidentally turned back or permitting the pressure of the waterto force the parts apart sufficiently to form a leak.

To couple the parts together to form a perfectly-tight joint, thecoupling-sleeve 29 cannot be turned by hand with sufficient force,

and in order that said sleeve may be turned up tightly to its seat, andin order, also, that the said sleeve may be unlocked and turned off fromthe discharge-tube,we provide a spanner having a curved end adapted topartially embrace said sleeve, the extreme end of said spanner beingprovided with an aperture 36, adapted to fit over a pin 37, formed onthe sleeve, and having a shoulder 38 adapted to bear against the freeend of the pawl 33 and raise the detent from out of engagement with theratchet 31 and release the couplingsleeve. For the sake of economy andconvenience the spanner is formed in one with the wrench 22, as shown.

After the coupling-sleeve 29 has been slipped over the tube 24:, asbefore described, the spanner is applied thereto in a position reverseto that shown in Fig. 5, and the coupling-sleeve turned tightly up toits seat, the detent 34. engaging the ratchet-teeth 31 and locking saidsleeve on the tube 25. To detach the hose the spanner is applied to thecoupling-sleeve in the position shown in Fig. 5, and upon sufficientpressure being applied thereto to turn the sleeve the shoulder 38 willbear against the free end of the pawl 33 and raise the detent out ofengagement with the ratchet-teeth 31, releasing the couplingsleeve, whenit may be turned off the tube 2i.

We have described our invention as relating to a hydrant; .but it willbe evident that it is particularly applicable to that class of hydrantsconventionally termed fire-plugs, though it may in practice be appliedto hydrants of any known description.

We have shown and described the valve 6 as closing upwardly against thevalve-seat, but it will be evident that said valve may be reversed toclose with a downward motion, and such an arrangement we haveillustrated in Fig. '7. As shown in said figure the valve 6 closesagainst the upper side of the valveseat 2, and with such an arrangementthe drain-outlet must be closed when the valve is lifted, and hence theinclined spiral cam 19 is arranged in the reverse direction to thatbefore described, whereby it operates to close the valve 17 as thevalve-stem is raised and permits the same to open as said stem islowered.

When the hydrant is not in use we close the discharge-outlet by means ofa cap 40. Said cap is provided with internal projections 41 that engagethe grooves 25, before described, and cause the cap to fit said outletwater-tight, and arranged within said cap is a follower 42, againstwhich presses a spring 43, and when the cap is rotated in the properdirection to disengage said grooves the spring operates to automaticallythrow the cap from off the nozzle. Vith a view to preventing the loss ofthe cap we prefer to secure the same to the hydrant by a chain 44.

I-Iaving described our invention, what we claim is- 1. In a hydrant, thecombination of a barrel provided at its lower end with a valve-seat andnear its upper end with a circumferential spiral groove and having aninclined camshaped upper edge corresponding in contour to said spiralgroove, avalve-stem movably fitted in bearings in said barrel andprovided at its lower end with a valve adapted to close against saidvalve-seat, a laterally-projecting lug secured to the upper end of saidvalvestem and engaging said inclined cam, a rotatable cap fitted overthe upper end of the barrel and engaging the valve-stem to cause thelatter to rotate therewith, and a stud. carried by said cap and engagingsaid spiral groove, substantially as described.

2. In a hydrant, the combination of a barrel having a valve-seat at itslower end and provided near its upper end with a circumferential spiralgroove and having an inclined camshaped upper edge corresponding incontour to said spiral groove, a valve-stem movably fitted in bearingsin said barrel and carrying a valve adapted to close against saidvalveseat, a laterally-projecting lug secured to the upper end of saidvalve-stem and engaging said inclined cam, a rotatable cap fitted on theupper end of the barreland provided with a socket for engaging theangular upper end of the valve-stem to cause the latter to rotate withsaid cap, a stud carried by said cap and engaging-said spiral groove,and means for rotating the cap, substantially as described.

3. In a hydrant, the combination of a barrel having a valve-seat at itslower end and provided near its upper end with a circumferential spiralgroove and having an inclined camshaped upper edge corresponding incontour to said spiral groove, a valve-stem movably fitted in bearingsin said barrel and carrying a valve adapted to close against saidvalveseat, a laterally-projecting lug secured to the upper end of saidvalve-stem and having a beveled under side engaging said inclined cam, arotatable cap fitted over the upper end of the barrel and provided witha socket for engaging the angular upper end of the valvestem to causethe latter to rotate with said cap, a stud carried by the cap andengaging said spiral groove, and means for rotating the cap,substantially as described.

4. In a hydrant, the combination of a barrel having a valve-seat at itslower end and a drain-outlet arranged above said seat, a valvestemmovably fitted in bearings in said barrel and carrying a valve adaptedto close against said valve-seat, means for simultaneously rotating andreciprocating said valve-stem, a valve for controlling said drainoutlet, a spring for maintaining said valve normally open, and aninclined spiral cam arranged on said valve-stem and operating to openand close said valve, substantially as described.

5. In a hydrant, the combination of abarrcl having a valve-seat at itslower end and provided near its upper end with a circumferential spiralgroove and having an inclined camshaped upper edge corresponding incontour to said spiral groove a valve-stem niovably fitted in bearingsin said barrel and carrying a valve adapted to close against said valveseat, a laterally-projeating lug detachably sccured to the upper end ofsaid valve-stein and engaging said inclined cam, a rotatable cap fittedover the upper end of the barrel and provided with a socket for engagingthe angular upper end of the valve-stem to cause the latter to rotatewith said cap, a stud carried by the cap and engaging said spiralgroove, means for rotating the cap, a drainoutlet arranged above thevalve-seat, a valve for controlling said drain-outlet, a spring formaintaining said valve normally open, and an inclined spiral cainarranged on the valve-

